[9][10] Due to a combination of dyslexia and a strong sense of independence, Lee did not follow the established family route through Eton and Cambridge, instead attending the experimental Down House School[11] in Sussex, leaving at 16.

After traveling around the outback for a year, he settled in Sydney, where the Dutch-born photographer Jon van Gaalen provided him with board and lodging in return for his assistance with developing negatives.

[13] He spent the next two years at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London and continued to build his portfolio, photographing bands including the Kinks and the Who, and securing jobs for fashion clients keen to be seen in the colour supplements then new in British newspapers.

[15] A two-year move to Paris in 1970, working for Vingt Ans and Photo magazines,[16] and continuing to correspond for the British publications, let Lee expand his contacts and reputation in the fashion industry.

[18] Lee followed Wintour to New York City in 1975 and continued to collaborate, producing shoots for Viva (where she was now the fashion editor) for clients such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale's.

[22] Intrigued by his novel use of the unconventional space and keen to demonstrate the creative opportunities available, the London Transport Board gave Lee a hundred bus-sides for a year to use for advertising campaigns.

[23] Starting with a dramatic poster for Nikon, featuring Lee's own distinctive gold toothed smile in close up, he used the space to display prominently signed shots for clients including Austin Reed, British Rail and Pringle of Scotland; making headlines when he put a full frontal nude on the side of the Number 19 buses for French Connection.

[24] Described as "England's answer to Guy Bourdin"[9] and with influences including Helmut Newton, Lee's images have artistic merit, consistently showing high production values and a strong narrative.

[29] Lee's first commercial was for Levi's, and work for Elizabeth Arden and Coty's Sophia perfume soon followed, but his repertoire swiftly grew to encompass many of the biggest brands including Visa, BMW and Shell.

In 1999, he was commissioned to produce a sixty-second commercial for Kingdom Holding Company controlled by Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, nephew of the Saudi Arabian King Abdullah.

[citation needed] In 2003, Lee spotted one of his own early photographs in the V&A Magazine, promoting an upcoming exhibit based on the work of the fashion designer Ossie Clark.

[41] Supported by London Fashion Week, the show was widely reviewed in the television and print media, made the national evening news[42] and was accompanied by an eight-page spread in The Sunday Times Magazine.

[2] The exhibition went on to tour around Europe, displayed at venues including the Galleria Carla Sozzani in Milan, the Galeria Moriarty in Madrid[43] and the Paris Photo art fair in France.

[52] Lee's work was presented at the American International Fine Art Fair in February 2013, featuring on the cover of the official 2013 catalogue,[53] followed by a month-long exhibition at the Holden Lundtz Gallery in Palm Beach, Florida.

May 2012 saw the launch of a 288-page coffee table book entitled Jim Lee / Arrested, published by Ammonite Press (ISBN 978-1-90770-812-1),[57] at the auction house, Phillips de Pury, in London.